Energy Decarbonization Pathways and Tools
A four-week online course that explores the fundamental principles, mathematical concepts, and interconnections driving global clean energy transitions.
The course starts May 1, 2024. Enrollments close Apr 30, 2024.
Live sessions: Wednesdays from 8:00-9:30am PT
Course level: Introductory
Taught by
Zach Birnholz
Energy Expert
- 4 weeks / 4 hours per week
- 100% online
- 4 instructor-led live sessions
- Create an energy action plan
- Class recording available
- Completion certificate
About this course
This course will delve into the foundational principles and terminology of clean energy transitions and will equip you with essential quantitative tools required to play a role in these transitions.
The course begins by examining the fundamental need to electrify everything, providing examples for organizations across sectors. You’ll learn how the grid works and what policies, regulations, and behaviors best support a clean and resilient grid. Along the way, we will demystify the many units used across the energy sector, including megawatts, joules, British thermal units, kilowatt-hours, amps, and volts.
You will then learn how to use quantitative techniques to help you make impactful data-driven energy decisions. We will also dig into various obstacles and opportunities that often come up in clean energy transitions. You’ll synthesize these learnings by creating an energy action plan relevant to your profession.
You will leave with the systems thinking skills to make informed energy decisions that are beneficial for business, the grid, and the climate while building a network of like-minded peers in the space.
Who is this program for?
Business professionals targeting clean energy
Product managers, software engineers, sales professionals, consultants, and others targeting, or are newly in, clean energy careers
Professionals who oversee energy usage
Energy analysts, energy specialists, energy consultants, sustainability managers, and others who help manage a company’s energy consumption, impacts, and costs
Traditional energy policy and regulatory specialists
Government relations specialists, energy policy advisors, energy regulatory consultants, energy compliance officers, and others seeking to navigate the clean energy landscape
What climate skills you'll learn
Analyze energy scenarios
Calculate opportunities, costs, and impacts related to clean energy transitions
Identify decarbonization potential
Uncover high-impact pathways to decarbonize energy systems
Detect transition constraints
Identify bottlenecks in the clean energy transition value chain
Systems thinking
Apply an overlapping system lens to understand the interconnectedness of policy, justice, technology, labor, and markets in any clean energy transition
event concluded
Demand Response as a Lever in Clean Electrical Grids
- Apr 16, 2024
- 8:00am PT
The Terra.do difference
Live lab groups
You will meet weekly with the instructor and fellow learners to share perspectives
Skills-based learning
You will engage in individual real-world assignments to immediately apply the skills you’ve learned
Personalized attention
Meet with the instructor 1-on-1 and get individualized feedback on your assignments
Asynchronous and synchronous learning
Flexible learning options to fit your learning style
Meet the course creator
Zach Birnholz
Energy Expert
Zach Birnholz is dedicated to moving the needle on climate change by directly addressing its #1 contributor: our emissions from energy use. In his work in the distributed energy resources (DER) sector, he has enabled clean, demand-side assets to displace hundreds of megawatts of fossil fuel-generated power by enrolling large energy users such as Walmart into grid operators’ demand response programs. He holds a Master’s in Environmental Science and Engineering from Stanford University and, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, was on the team that turned Stanford’s introductory computer science class into a free online Python course for over 10,000 students (and 1,000 small-group instructors). Zach is also an instructor for Terra.do’s Learning for Action course.
Course schedule
Pricing and expected commitment
Our fellows say it best...
Erin Hemenway
"Energy Decarbonization Pathways and Tools is a practical and manageable course for busy people who may only be able to spare a few hours per week. The course is focused on a very practical area where nearly anyone can take what they've learned and start making positive changes in energy consumption in their own lives"
Divyesh Tyagi
"If you are starting out and want to get inducted into climate change a wonderful set of mentors, trainers, content and community is waiting for you here at Terra.do."
